


Sometimes Quiet is Violent

by Costa_Cat



Series: My wild and maybe not so wonderful Rickly bingo card works [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Abraham a low key babe tho, Angst, Bingo card: Eerie Silence, Daryl and Judith fluff, Daryl looking after Judith, Hurt Daryl, Im sorry I really love Abraham, M/M, Rickly Writers Group, Silence, This is my first bingo card thing yay, did i tag angst, haha lmao im sorry, ill stop talking lmao, like REALLY love him, oh yeah i did, sad lmao, very slight fluff sorry lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 08:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8617456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Costa_Cat/pseuds/Costa_Cat
Summary: Daryl escapes with Judith instead of Beth. You can assume Beth went with Tyresse instead. So this is the story of how Daryl looked after Judith and finally reunited with the rest of the group, however it didn't go like Daryl though it would.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my bingo card. I got Eerie silence in it, and it was really fun to work with. Unbeta'd btw so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> I hope you enjoy my darlings.

Everything is just so silent now. It wasn't always silent. Back before the prison fell there had always been some form of noise, whether it was Carl's laugh, the horse's neigh or the walkers outside demanding to be heard and noticed. But now, with just him and Judith, it's eerily silent. It seems that not even the birds call out any more, too scared to alert the monsters on the ground to their location. Judith doesn't even cry any more. Just makes grabby motions with her small little hands when she wants something. If he's lucky she'll make a soft whimper when she wants her nappy changed, but these days it's a scrunched up nose that tells him it's time for a change.

 

He hasn't really talked either. If he's honest, he can't actually remember the last time he said something aloud, too scared to draw the Walkers to thier location. Too scared to risk the man he loves child. Rick. It's been such a long time since he's seen him, heard his voice, touched his skin. It's been too long. Too long without his touch, and too long without sound.

 

The only thing that he hears any more is the tell tale sign of the moans and groans that means he has to pack up camp and move. Again. Daryl isn't entirely sure how long he's been out here since the prison fell. Days? No, it's definitely been more than a week. Hell maybe it's been a month. He's not sure any more. Surely someone would know if it has been more than a month without sound. Even after all this time, it seems Daryl can still be surprised.

 

Time is very hard to judge. Every day is just a slight variation of the one before. He barely sleeps, too afraid to let his guard down. For even a moment. Because that is all it takes, just a second of him not looking or paying attention or letting his guard down for it all to be over. If he gets bit, then it's the end for Judy too, unless he miraculously manages to find the others, but it's been so long (he thinks), he doesn't think he'll ever seen them again. And doesn't that just break his heart? But if Judith gets bit and he survives? He doesn't think that's something he can live with. Something he doesn't _want_ to live with. There is just something's that you can't come back from and that is most certainly one.

 

It only takes a moment for everything to be over.

 

So Daryl can't find himself being able to sleep easily at all, and only listening to what his body is screaming for him to do when he is close to collapsing, and even then he only sleeps for an hour maybe two before he's up again. Awake. Staring at nothing. Protecting Judith in their world without sound.

 

Despite making practically no sound, Judith is still a very lucid baby. Always grabbing for something to play with, and Daryl finds himself not only on the look out for food, water and walkers but also watching to stop Judith putting everything she finds in her mouth. And she really does try, always grabbing leaves off nearby trees, or picking something off of Daryl and moving immediately to put them/it into her mouth, only for Daryl's fingers to softly take it from hers and place the item back from she got it.

 

But they never speak, giggle nor whisper.

 

She smiles though. Smiles all the time she does. Big wide ones, little small ones, and even the occasional smirk that has Daryl thinking she succeed in her quest to put something ridiculous and dirty in her mouth but he can never tell if she actually did or not. Sneaky bugger she can be. Every so often, on their journey to who knows where, she'll reach up and yank up at his hair, or beard and she'll keep doing it until he removes her fingers and halfheartedly glares at her, but whatever anger or annoyance he might be feelings drains away when he catches that big infectious smile on her face. And then he'll grin too, wide and reaching all the way up to his eyes.

But they never laugh, chuckle nor talk.

 

One morning he wakes up to her slapping his face. He jolts up immediately, his mind going to the worst scenarios and then solutions, mapping every exit and potential escape route, cataloguing every weapon he has before he's even properly awake. It turns out that everything is fine. Well it seems fine, there's no walkers about and both of them aren't injured, so he can't fathom why Judith felt the need to wake him up. Until she slaps him again, and then points to her mouth, before scrunching her face up in what Daryl assumes is pain. She's teething, and Daryl is instantly worried because he's heard all sorts of stories from Carol, Rick and Herschel about how load infants can be when they go through that stage in life. As if sensing his thoughts, Judith just shakes her head somewhat sadly, and points to her mouth again. He digs through his bag, desperately hoping that he did pick up that teething ring he saw before, but he's not sure because he sleeps whenever and the days are mashing together so he can barely keep track of what he does. But after what seems like hours but in reality is mere seconds he finds it, right at the bottom, and he hastily gives it to her. She begins chewing on it, pain less radiant on her face, and Daryl breaths a sigh of relief.

 

But they never cry, moan nor complain.

 

The silence is beginning to drive him insane. It's just so fucking quiet. Daryl almost wishes for Judith to start crying, to distract him from his slipping sanity, but he knows that her crying will only result in bad. But the silence, it's so fucking _loud_ that Daryl is beginning to be unable to take it any more. He's constantly on edge, getting even less sleep as before, if it's even possible. He can't help but think that something terrible is just around the corner. It feels as if he always waiting for the other shoe to drop. When he was a kid, it was always silent before his Pa came to beat him. Every single time something terrible came out of the silence.

 

He finds himself almost always fixated on it, aware of it in every waking moment, and his dreams are filled with nothing. Just nothing. He feels like screaming. He knows he can't though. They're is walkers almost everywhere, he'll attract them within a minuet. He just wants to hear something. But he can't and he is always surrounded by an eerie silence that is slowly taking over his life.

 

And he is so focused on the silence, so focused on his own dip into madness that he doesn't notice the soft crunch of someone's footsteps. Not walkers, no too precise for that. Doesn't notice until the blade is slicing into his skin doing irreparable damage, and the bag he is holding limply by his side is torn from his grasp. And the first thing he hears in probably months isn't the retreating footsteps of the thief, or his own steps, heavy and loud because he is in so much pain he can't keep his feet silent any longer. No, not any of that, the first thing he hears is Judith softly crying out, not because she's hurt but because somewhere in her subconscious she knows what that means. Knows that it is now game over.

 

Until they both hear something else. Other voices, vaguely familiar ones that has them both perking their ears and cocking their heads in that direction. He knows, somewhere in his brain, that he knows these people, that although they won't be able to save him, they can save Judith and at this point that's all that matters. All that's ever mattered.

 

He stumbles through the trees, closer to the voices he knows, and eventually he staggers out of the woods and onto the road. His vision is blurry and he isn't really taking in his surroundings, all he is aware of his a slightly crazed bearded man rushing towards him, with a young boy and a chick with a sword in tow.

 

Exhausted, in lots of pain but relieved, he collapses to the ground, right next to a tall, buff ginger guy who looks very confused and very concerned. The bearded man crowds what little of his vision he has left, and gently removes little Judith from his grasp. She's full on crying for the first time in god knows how long, and his heart breaks because he knows it's for him, that she wouldn't cry because she was hurt in the fall, wouldn't risk it for just that, but would risk it because she somehow knows that Daryl is dying.

 

The bearded man looks a horrible cross between devastated and thankful. That's when several things snap together like a jigsaw piece at once.

 

He can't hear them. For whatever reason he can only hear Judith crying, but they're taking her away now, probably thinking that a baby shouldn't see that, but it's too late because she already knows. Already knows what happened, what's happening and what's going to happen.

 

The second thing that clicks is huge, and he's almost disappointed in himself for not realising it sooner. The bearded man, who is now holding him, with tears in his eyes and rocking him ever so slightly is _Rick_. It's honest to god 100% Rick and he can't believe it, almost doesn't want to because it's not fair on him, to get the man he loves back before losing him again, oh so soon. It's not fair on Daryl either.

 

He wants to say something, he realises. Wants to leave Rick with his last words, wants to reassure him, remind him that he is strong and that he can get through this. He has too.

 

He wets his lips, now tainted with blood, and takes one breath in. Two. Three. Four. He's ready now.

 

“It's okay Rick” He whispers. His voice is scratchy, hoarse and Rick has to bend down to hear him but it's okay because they're here together for one last time, it's okay because he can hear again, hear everything that's going on, and he's never been happier to hear the voices of those he loves.

 

“It's okay, because I'm in the arms of the man I love.” He starts, and Rick, still holding him shakes his head, lets the tears fall and he goes to open his mouth but Daryl stops him. He has more to say before he goes.

 

“I saved our daughter. She's safe. You're safe.” He tells him, sincere painfully clear in his voice.

 

Rick opens his mouth and this time Daryl lets him speak.

 

“But you're not.” Three little words broke his heart more than his Pa, his brother, or anything in his life ever could. He can see Rick losing himself, but he doesn't want him too, he knows they can't afford Rick the way he was after Lori. He can't have Rick losing his mind.

 

“You're strong. You're okay. And I'm okay too, because I can't think of a better way to go than in the arms of you, Rick. The person I will always love most in this world.” He says quickly, too quickly. It causes a bout of coughs to arise in him, and after he's finally done hacking up a lung, he can tell he's closer to the edge. Closer to death.

 

“Don't let me turn. Be strong. Please don't lose yourself. Rick I-” But he can't say any more. He is too close to death, he doesn't have enough energy to say what he wanted too. He's slipping away. 

 

But he does have enough in him to register Rick clutching his hand, whispering 'no please no' before he goes. The buff ginger guy puts his hand on Rick's shoulder, and Daryl's eyes slip closed.

 

The last coherent thought he has is that he's so unbelievably grateful he doesn't have to spend his last moments with something he has come to hate. The eerie silence will control him no longer.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god do you hate me? I'm sorry tho I deserve it. To be fair I didn't think of it until half way through.
> 
> Follow me on insta it's dark_meadows_ and literally all it is is TWD and some personal shit 
> 
> If you liked it, or hated it then leave a comment/kudos
> 
> •yo sorry for not adding the MCD tag. I didn't realise until you guys commented•
> 
> Until next time my darlings


End file.
